Hi, I wanted to get my fiance some Shane's 2007 bindings but I am not sure whether or not to get the open or closed ones. He's got the watson's and is really happy with them... Would the closed ones dry fast enough? Do they widen as well or remain in shape? Any experience especially with the Shane's in comparison to closed toe? Thanks for help. Cheers, Antje

I've got the Shane's and love them, usually people love closed toe or hate it. I like them because they feel more like a snowboard boot and they tighten more evenly on my foot, the open toe bindings always seem to cut the circulation off on my toes and my toes slide down in the boot on open toe. They dry okay, but takes a little longer. They pretty much stay in shape the same as the Watson's, I haven't had any problems with widening. Wow, Dubai huh? Is there good wakeboarding there? That place looks awsome.

i dont really like closed toes. last year i got the murrays and i ripped the toes open in less than a month. ill never go back to closed toe but idk about the quality of the liquid force ones im just going on my experience with hyperlite's.

If you're going to buy him new closed toe boots. Buy Ronix One or Cell boots.

The Shane and Watson boots have a ton of heel lift. Not so much YOUR heel, but the actual back part of the boot lifts of the board (1-2 inches) every time you edge hard on your toes.

This problem is caused by the base of the boot not being stiff enough and only being connected to the pro plate at the center.

***Don't believe me? Have your fiance get in his watson open toes, tighten them up, and have him stand on his toes or pretend like he is edging on his toe side...and watch the back part of the watson lift off the board by 1-2 inches.

(Anyone who owns watsons or shanes and hasn't realized this, check it out. These boots are super comfy and look sweet, but the quality and performance is not worth $400!)

It's all personal preference but I believe closed toe boots are alot better. Alot more edge control even by just lifting up on your toes and not even really leaning on edge. When i go snowboarding I prefer my toe strap to be locked down. Same concept.

I like the idea of the closed toe boot. Had some '06 Murray's and they fell apart quickly. I did like them for the short time I used them. Don't know if they were a bad pair or not. I heard other people had similar probs. Had them warrantied and we'll see if the '07's hold up.

Thanks for sharing! However all the replies are pretty controversial so that I still don't know what to do especially as we have to order them to Dubai and can't simply take them back - would take forever... My fiance is also snowboarding so I guess when you're into that, the closed ones might be interesting.

Ive gone from LF Transits to some HL Murray's CT and i really cant tell a whole hell of a lot. The murrays are extreamly comfy tho. So im stoked on that. Not alot of heel lift, minor. And there not a huge clown boot like the shanes

Get the CWB Zeus bindings..... As the website says...get the response of a closed toe boot without the look of a clown shoe.... See what CWB did, was just run the toe piece a little longer over your foot and you can't pick ur toes up..... mission accomplished

I regularly ride the 06 Zeus and have ridden the Torq's prior to that. I had a chance to try out the the 3DS closed toes in an all day clinic and I didn't like them. I didn't feel like I gained any responsiveness from them. The only plus is if you ride in cold water your feet will stay a bit warmer, but I'll take my Zeus over those any day.

I would though like to try out those brown moccasin-looking Ronix closed toes. They look comfy...

The reason, or one of the many, that closed toe does not help responsiveness in wake is the board sits deep in the water and you push against the whole board, not the heel edge as in snow. Surfers sure seem to be able to edge heel hard....as well as wakeskaters. Hmmm. If we rode our wakeboards on a frozen lake, yes, it would help.

come on Jeff we know your WT ;) but what he meant do you wear open toes in an athletic situation or to move your home etc ,well smart people dont since spraining ankles and slipping become way to easy..

now to the point an open toe Binding is different from a shoe since it has ankle support and has worked since the 80s.

however the open toe bindings were made to hold your foot in by creating pressure toward the end of your foot and toes so you dont put your foot through the front on every jump/fall .

These pressure points are what the real differece is between an open and closed toe .The close toes are more comfortable by nature since they dont have pressure points anywhere .

The shanes were by far the most comfortable binding ive ever put on my feet and rode with .

I rode the shanes for two months before gettiong rid of them and they were awesome..

i got rid of them because i freaked out one weekend when my riding went into a slump and i kept landing hard on my front rolls and forcing my right(backfoot) big toe forward into the binding causeing my toe nail to bleed and get a little bruised.

i solved the problem by wearing a small metal splint on it with a piece of athletic tape to hold it in place.

it didnt happen again but it scared me and i made arash decision and sold them thinking they didnt fit snug enough to cause this .However i also felt after thinking back to the bad weekend ,had i been wearing open toes on those crashes the chances of me comingall the way out of the front of the open toes i may have been hurt more,who knows....

they did take longer to dry and smelled a little but like i said the best most comfortable bindings ive worn to date .

I tried the zeus and then the watsons after that ,ended up liking the watsons almost as much and am riding them now .

However i would give the closed toes another chance if they make some a little better looking ,with better drainage and fit.

seems like the new ronix might fit the bill except i heard a rumor they dont fit on other brand boards without a heavy extra base plate which cost more and would make the binding heavier ,damn it !

anyway allin all i like both and open close toes they all have plus and minus for everyone .

Sorry guys and gals... I just cant get into this closed toe boot stuff. Broken toes doesnt sound like fun to me, and for as much as i am on the water the closed toe boots would never dry. Talk about a mold issue... my .02

You have minimal toe lift with the 07 Cwb bindings with the new Articulated toe, holds you foot down like a closed toe, so If you buy a CWB binding with the hinge and the Articulated Toe, you are good to go.

Bill has it exactly right, I love my Shanes. I used to push my toes out of the open toes and with The Shanes I hit my toe from time to time, but it spreads the pressure through the boot, not just on the toes. I used to have to crank down the open toes to the point where my pinkie toe turned white.

Oscar, I believe the boots are simular, but I've heard the 07 Watson might be a little higher and more stiff than the Shanes.